A sweet tale of a beloved bear defeating the tyranny of others’ expectations.
Staunch friends support a sensitive bibliophile bruin.
Clementine and her mother—both light-skinned—cherish their pal George, a well-meaning, oblivious, klutzy ursine who in Bears Don’t Read (2015) fed his love of literature. One day while Clementine is at school and her mother’s at work, George runs out of reading material and bravely decides to stroll to the town library. Failing to notice fellow pedestrians’ terrified reactions, he is mystified (“Bother!”) when he finds the library—and every shop—immediately closed. Naturally, he heads for the lively market square. Chaos ensues, and George slips and falls into the central fountain. The crowd hoots. George frets that the book is spoiled, worries that they’re laughing at him, and berates himself as “hopeless and clumsy.” When Clementine runs to comfort him, George bursts into tears. The small girl stands up for her friend, telling the throng that they have hurt his feelings: No one is too big to cry. Suddenly self-conscious, the townspeople feel “really, truly sorry.” George gets a towel, a hankie, apologies, and a new library book. The illustrations, full of colorful patterns, depict diverse humans. Clever type design makes for easy reading, while lots of pictorial action adds drama to this tale that gently reminds readers not to judge by outward appearances. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet tale of a beloved bear defeating the tyranny of others’ expectations. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781684645145
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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